If you’re new to this community, you probably have stopped to ask, what is cosplay? Today my goal is to answer that and more for you so you can take part in the fun. By definition, it’s the act of dressing up as a character from various media sources like books, TV shows, movies, video games, etc. Cosplay can also be seen as much more though to the people who participate in it. It’s also often scene as an art form or a way for one to express them selves with the crafting process or adding their own unique flair to a costume.
Why do People Cosplay
So we have our answer for what is cosplay, it can also raise the question though of why do people cosplay? This answer can vary from person to person though since there’s many reasons for someone to dress up. The following are all reasons one might choose to cosplay:
- Support a fandom or express love for a fandom
- Make friends
- To compete
- To hone crafting skills or to spend more time crafting
- Fame
- Bring to life custom ideas and new designs
- To express themselves
- Escapism
- Increase confidence and self-esteem
Types of Costumes
Cosplay isn’t a one size fits all and thus there’s many different ways to go about it. Here are some types of costumes to explore:
- Closet cosplay – This can also be referred to as casual cosplay. It involves mostly using standard closet clothing to look similar to a certain character. Often this doesn’t encompass characters with large armor since it’s limited to shirts and pants in the closet.
- Gijinka – This involves taking non-human characters and turning them into humans as a cosplay. It’s often scene with Pokemon.
- Crossplay or Genderbend – Whether you’re pretending to be the opposite genderbend from yourself, or you redesign the character to be the opposite gender, that falls into these categories.
- OCs – This means creating a completely original character from your own imagination. These characters can get full lore and back stories too when being designed.
- Fursuits – Gijinka isn’t the only way to bring non-human animals to life. You can also go the route of creating a full fursuit to stay more animalistic.
- Standard cosplay – These are just the standard costumes you see people make or buy.
- Kigurumi – Yes, the onesies do indeed count as a form of cosplay too.
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